I had an iPhone 3G, then 4, then switched to a Nexus 4, LG G4, LG G5, Pixel 2 and then Pixel 5. Just in case anyone else is thinking of moving from a Pixel, I moved (back) to using an iPhone because:
Pixel 5 reaching end-of-support for OS/security updates. Battery life starting to show its age. Pixel 8 is (still) too big. Really, really not a fan of the camera bar on the later Pixels. Apple’s physical presence in my country makes repairs etc. quicker and easier. Switch to USB-C meant cables and chargers could be kept. Although not limited to Google, OS features are often US specific. Started getting adverts in Google Feed. Fed up with Google deprecating things (bitten by stadia). I realised I didn’t actually customise my phone much.
The Good: Pretty much identical in size to the Pixel 5. OS is fast and polished. Apps are generally very good quality. Anecdotally, there seem to be more apps with (albeit expensive) lifetime purchase options. Nice touches like reminding me that I’ve left my iPad behind. 80% charging limit is nice to have. Video quality good. Photos seem fine but maybe blurrier than Pixel? Seems to be easier to have apps from two different country’s stores installed on the phone. Notification system not as bad as expected.
The Bad: The glass back is a constant source of worry. Muscle memory for the volume buttons and fingerprint reader will take some time to forget. Volume opposite power button means I keep accidentally taking screenshots. Slightly jealous about Pixel 8’s new camera abilities. Can’t use credit cards from two different countries with Apple Pay (I think). Anecdotally, more apps seem to require subscriptions.
The Ugly: Losing Threema and Signal chat histories. Have to keep the Pixel to keep my late mum’s original chats. Just let me put app icons where I want, please. App settings are all over the place. Notification volume much louder than ring volume but (often) can’t be individually changed? Notification system not as good as it could be. Ancient and irritating limitation on using own ringtones. Let me remove, not just blank, sources in the News app. Needs to learn that I swear continuously much more quickly. I miss Öffi.
Despite the bad/ugly points, the good, in combination with my original reasons for switching, mean I’ve no real regrets.
If I find any other points I’ll update this. Please let me know if I’ve got any of the iOS limitations wrong, and apologies in advance if my formatting is crappy, or anyone considers this sort of post pointless - just trying to add some content to Lemmy - being the change I want to see… :-)
I started with Motorola Atrix, then Motorola Moto X, Samsung S8, S10, Note 10+, and earlier this year got a used iPhone 13 Mini to give it a fair try.
iOS takes more steps to do things that Android can do. It was disappointing coming from the multitasking beast that the Note series is. I miss being able to do scrolling screenshots system-wide, no matter what app. iOS limits it to a few core apps and makes it a PDF… I miss being able to swipe back from either side of the screen. I miss split screen. I miss Samsung’s sandboxed Secure Folder and vastly superior One Handed Mode. I miss a better keyboard experience.
But those are things I gave up for the convenience of a local Apple Store, faster security updates, and being able to troubleshoot iOS better for my partner who’s always used iPhones.
I went almost all in with the 15 Pro; still using my Galaxy buds because they’re comfy. Continuity is nice, already having a MBP and iPad. And I’m having fun messing around with Shortcuts and reading people’s ideas for the action button. It’s not as powerful as Tasker, but that’s only because Apple limits what we can do. Scrolling with 120 Hz is nicer than 60 Hz, comparing the 13 Mini and 15 Pro side by side.